Guy Chapman aka JzG wrote:
On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:05:56 +0200, Jimmy Wales jwales@wikia.com wrote:
The question of whether a particular good faith gesture in an effort to create an atmosphere of good will which may lead to a more favorable outcome for both sides will actually WORK or not is a valid question, of course.
There is also the issue of whether, in reaching out to Brandt, you will simultaneously issue a gut-wrenching blow to people who have been savagely attacked, often for no real reason. And I don't think that's overdramatising the issue.
Well, I hope not. I suspect that most of the people involved will understand that a good faith negotiation to try to get certain behaviors stopped is worthwhile.
I may have been overly superficial in this review, but I didn't see much evidence that he is actually here to improve the encyclopaedia. What is his goal, actually? To continue the long-lost argument over his article? Or to actually, you know, add good information to the encyclopaedia?
He asked me to unblock him for the specific reason that he would like to have the opportunity to post on the talk page of the article about him. I think that he is being honest about that, and that this is all he really wants to do.
Or: Why on earth would we do this? What's in it for us, as a project? I guess that's the bottom line, and I'm still not seeing a positive in the cost-benefit balance.
Imagine if we can come to some measure of peace with Brandt, so that he stops doing things that (quite rightly) irritate the community. Imagine if we end up with a short and properly NPOV article about him, and he is satisfied with it (though still perhaps wishing we would delete the whole thing, of course). Suppose the worst of the off-wiki behaviors stop, and suppose he just comes to post comments and complaints whenever the article about him appears biased.
Then I think we can all stop worrying about it.
Is that a possible outcome here? I think so. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I tried.
--Jimbo